Page 81 of Oracles Always Win

“Whichis what exactly?”

“It’sa bond between you and something firmly anchored in the present.Itmight be a place, or a friend, or…”

“Amate?” he guessed.

“Yes, except…”

Hestiffened in my arms. “Youthink we’re mates, but you don’t want to be my tether?”

“Itisn’t thatIdon’t want to be your tether.”Ihated having to talk about this, but it was necessary. “WhenIused my magic to heal you after the bombs,Imade my decision.Youare the only one for me.Mymagic andIsee you as mine, but that doesn’t mean you can’t still walk away.”

“Whatdid you do?”Hedidn’t sound worried, just curious. “BecauseI’vefelt things since then.AlmostlikeIcould feel you inside me…”Hischeeks darkened. “Imean, not likesex, but like your feelings or something.I’mnot doing a very good job of explaining this.”

“I…Ididn’t know it would do that.”Ipaused. “I’msorry.Ididn’t realize...”

“It’sfine,” he said, dismissing my apology more easily than he should have. “Butif you’ve chosen me like you said, then what’s the problem?”

“Mydemon magic is a little different too.Mostof my magic is balanced through negotiations and promises.Imake deals with people.Theyoffer me something, and in exchangeIuse my magic to help them.IfIuse magic without having a deal in place, it can become unbalanced.Ademon who isn’t stable becomes dangerous, to themselves or anyone around them.”

“Okay…”Jakesaid, drawing the word out. “Iget the sense there is more that you aren’t telling me.”

“Likeoracles, demons eventually need tethers too.I’mnearing the age when finding my own tether is becoming a necessity.Butfor me, it can only be a place.OnceIbind to it,Iwould become its guardian.”

“Butif the deals balance your magic, why do you need a tether too?”

Ishrugged a little, butIwasn’t sure ifJakenoticed. “Idon’t know.I’mnot sure if anyone does.I’vegiven it a lot of thought over the years andI’vecome up with two possible scenarios.Theremay be a limit to how much magic my demon side can access and asIget closer to using everythingIhave been allocated by theEternalMagic, it grows more unstable.Myother theory is that a residue gets left behind wheneverIuse my magic, and over time it accumulates to unmanageable quantities and interferes with my ability to access more.”

“Likea magical heart attack brought on by magical cholesterol.”Jake’sforehead furrowed as he mulled over everythingI’dsaid. “So, if you don’t find a place, you become dangerous.Whendoes it happen?Howmuch time do we have?”

Ismiled at his use of the wordwe, as if he expected to be at my side from now on, helping any way he could.

“Iam already much older than my father was when it happened to him.”

“Soyou think it’s getting close?”Jake’sfingers tightened where he was holding me.

Myfather’s red eyes flashed in my mind’s eye, always so close to my thoughts, never fading with time.Ididn’t want to discuss him withJake, but what choice didIhave?

Chapter Twenty-Eight

GAGE

Jakecupped my cheek as he held my gaze for a long moment. “Doyou want to talk about it?”

Igrimaced.Ididn’t, but it really was the best way for him to understand the reality of becoming involved with me… a demon.

“Iwas born in a small village along what is now the border betweenScotlandandEngland,”Istarted. “Mygrandfather had tethered to the place when he was a young man.Ihave a few memories of how the villagers would come to our home.Itseemed there were always strangers about, but at that ageIhadn’t come into my magic yet.Myfather would assist my grandfather with his work, until one day my father woke me in the dead of night, insisting we needed to flee.”

“Howold were you?”

“Aroundten,Ithink…Oldenough to have clear memories of that night, even after all these years.”

“Whydid you need to run?”

“Myfather said my grandfather had become jealous of his magic.Havingbonded with the place, he couldn’t tolerate another demon in his territory.”

“Butwouldn’t that have always been the case, as soon as your grandfather tethered there?Whywould it come to a head so many years later?”

Inodded. “I’veasked myself that same question many times.”